DURHAM – Derogatory remarks toward President-elect Barack Obama made on a social networking Web site are now the subject of an internal police investigation.

A police department employee claims the statements were made on the MySpace pages of two Durham officers.

A d v e r t i s e m e n t

“There’s no exact words that were said,” said Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. in a telephone interview Wednesday from San Diego, where he is attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference. “It wasn’t a racial slur, but we’re still investigating it.”

Stanley B. Chambers Jr
News & Observer
November 14, 2008

Investigators, who are focusing on the context of what was written, have been looking into the allegations since Thursday.

Lopez wouldn’t disclose what was said or identify the officers involved.

City Manager Tom Bonfield, who was notified of the investigation late Tuesday afternoon, said he advised Lopez to complete it as quickly as possible.

Bonfield, whom Lopez reports to, said the department has the discretion to notify him of such inquiries.